The Show - An Online OOTP Baseball Simulation League

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In the flurry of trade deadline maneuvering, no swap was as heavily analyzed, criticized, and dissected as the transaction that sent last year's Cy Young Award Winner Brandon Webb along with Justin Duchscherer to the Houston Astros for Wandy Rodriguez and Kaz Matsui. Midway through August, however, the benefits to both clubs are becoming obvious.

Webb, who has been having a roller coaster year, is starting to round into form for the Astros. With two starts under his belt, is 0-2. These stats don't tell the whole story, however. Webb's first outing was disastrous, giving up 4 runs in two innings of work, likely attributed to stress and nerves from the recent move. His next start, however, a 4-5 loss to the hard-hitting Reds, was a pitching masterpiece. The Sultan of Sliders scattered six hits and two walks across eight innings, notching six strikeouts while giving up only two earned runs. More importantly, Webb's dominant groundball to flyball ratio returned to a wizard-like 2:1.

Duchscherer, a throw-in as the Diamondbacks attempted to rid themselves of a long-term free agent contract, has been tremendous for the Astros. Feeling new life in his pitching arm in the humid swelter that is Houston in August, Duchscherer is 2-0 in three starts, with an ERA and a WHIP both holding at 1.02. The change of scenery has, apparently, done the Duke some good.

From the Diamondbacks perspective, in the middle of a playoff hunt they have been able to clear up some space on their starting roster to bring up rookie hurlers Jarrod Parker and Kevin Eichhorn. Parker has been impressive in his debut, going 2-1 in his first seven starts with an ERA of 4.99 and a WHIP of 1.34. Only the demise of the Diamondback bullpen has kept Parker from record of 4-1, as he does a great job of keeping his team in games.

Eichhorn, on the other hand, has been exceeding expectations with a 4-1 record in his first five major league starts. With a WHIP of 1.21 and an ERA of 3.03, Eichhorn never gives in to hitters, evidenced by his K:BB rate of 2.5:1. These two prospects, considered the gems of the Diamondbacks' farm system, will likely make or break the club's hopes of winning the World Series this year.

Since the transaction, Arizona has moved from a 0.5 game lead over the Portland Stags to a 2.5 game lead. The Stags, always a threat, have been feeling the heat as well, moving back to a four-man starting rotation with the demotion of Barry Zito to AAA. It's still early in the race, but with seven head-to-head games in the space of eight days in late September, now would be an excellent time to reserve your tickets for the developing rivalry!